The Path You Choose
by BrokenMuse
Summary: Bleach/FFVII xover. Cloud Strife,third division captain is sent to earth to investigate the growing population of Hollows in Midgar and joins ShinRa, never knowing what awaited him within its walls or what would happen because of it. Yaoi.


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Chapter I- Annoyances

* * *

There was a soft sigh of annoyance from an attractive young man with spikey blonde hair and eyes that were sapphire blue and more intelligent than the average teenager that the boy supposedly was. Those eyes surveyed the compound before them with obvious disdain as they took in the red diamond with ShinRa's insignia plastered everywhere the eye could see.

Heh, does President ShinRa have some sort of complex?

"Taichou?"

Those unnerving eyes swiveled to the familiar form of his fuku-taichou, Izuru Kira. His second seat was peering at him with concerned eyes. Not that he could blame him. Ever since he had received his gigai from his long-time friend he had been in a pissy mood. Not that anyone could blame _him_.

"We better get started," he said with a sigh. He looked at them all with a serious expression. "Y'all know what to do, so get to it."

"Hai, Taichou!" was the chorused reply.

His third seat, forth seat and fifth seat ran toward the entrance into the ShinRa compound to proceed with the next step in his plan. But Kira remained, still looking at him with that same concerned expression.

"Don't fret, Kira-chan! All is well." He gave the other a reassuring smile.

Kira opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it and nodded at his captain before heading in the same direction as the others, leaving the blue-eyed man to think in solitude. But, in Kira's opinion it was more sulking then anything.

But who could blame him? If he were Cloud, he would sulk to.

Although he was sure that Urahara Kisuke was up to something, or it could be simple and the former Twelfth Division Captain just liked to annoy his long-time friend.

Or both.

Well, whichever one it happened to be, Kira hoped nothing ill came of it.

* * *

Three days later and Cloud was staring at his sword "instructor" with a high level of disbelief, the sulk over his gigai forgotten for the moment. And it was all due to the forms the so-called instructor was teaching the entire class for sword-play.

It was absolutely dreadful! Totally and utterly terrifying!

To put it simply, he was downright horrified. If any future soldier were to actually use the knowledge they garnered from this class they would end up dying. Honestly, how did ShinRa have the strongest military force on Gaia with lousy instructors such as this?

Cloud looked at his subordinates and they had similar looks as the one currently still occupying his face. Shifting uncomfortably, he held his tongue about the awful instruction that the man (he was too lazy to remember the mans name) was giving to these impressionable minds. After all, it wouldn't be a good thing for him to insult people that he had to put up with daily and make his current life more miserable then it already was.

It was not worth the aggravation.

_Kami-sama but does this blow! _He thought with a soft sigh.

His zanpakuto, Procne, fully agreed.

"Now!" The instructor shouted to make sure he had all of the new recruits attention. "Pick up a shinai- and before I even hear only one utter a complaint- yes they are not real swords and no you will not get one until much later on if you make it that long!

ShinRa does not need maggots like you chopping each other up because your inexperienced!"

"No, you do a good enough job at that." Cloud muttered.

Beside him, his fifth seat Hasumi Atsuma stifled his giggles.

"Now go get a shinai and pair up so I can see how much time I gotta waste on teaching you brats!"

"Which you'll do a lousy job at also, I'm sure." Cloud once again muttered.

This time his third seat heard him and started to snicker. Luckily by this time they were already getting their shinai. The instructor looked at them both suspiciously but then returned his attention to two other boys already bashing away at each other.

Rolling his eyes he turned to his third seat Minatsuki Sanosuke with a grin. "En guarde!"

The other gave a grin in response before brandishing his shinai and they started the familiar dance.

Cloud loved to duel with his subordinates, it was fun and easier to gauge their strength and weaknesses. He especially loved to duel with his fuku-taichou Izuru Kira, whose zanpakuto, Wabisuke, caused anything it hits to double in weight and so on with each hit. Quite a hard thing to counter but Cloud managed.

Unfortunately because of where they were and the people watching him and Sanosuke, they could not fight to their full potential and were reduced to the bare minimal of skill. It also wouldn't due to give these people to suspect that they were not the everyday cadets - not that they were mind you- but it would be problematic if they had all of ShinRa breathing down their necks.

But Cloud's sub-conscious decided that it wanted to embarrass the instructor and caused Cloud to demonstrate more skill then was absolutely necessary which indirectly caused Sanosuke to do the same to keep up with him.

"Cadet Strife! Cadet Minatsuki!"

Sanosuke immediately corrected the man on how to correctly pronounce his last name.

"Both of you-front and center!"

With no other choice the two shinigami did as ordered and Cloud felt his body tense in reflex as it expected an impending battle.

The man stared at them like they were something interesting under a microscope and that only made the two shinigami all the more ready to spring at the drop of a dime. Kira and the others likewise had become ready to attack were something to happen.

Cloud and Sanosuke didn't fidget under the instructors' intense gaze nor did they break eye contact, matching him glance for glance.

The Instructor suppressed the shiver that threatened to creep up his spine. He wasn't sure why but he knew there was something off about the two cadets and the way they looked at him…

"I want you to answer me honestly cadets, have either of you two had prior training to entering ShinRa?"

"No sir!"

He frowned at the answer, an obvious lie. "Then care to explain what I just witnessed?"

Cloud gave a wry smile which always spelt bad news. "Two teenage boys playing with their swords?"

It had the effect that the Third Division captain had been aiming for, the entire class broke out into full out laughter for the smart-assed comment.

The instructor was red in the face with anger and a hint of embarrassment at being out-foxed by a teenager.

"Attention-HUT!"

The laughter immediately stopped though there were grins, smirks and other amused expressions still painted on their faces. The instructor swung back around to the two cadets he called forward. The spikey headed blonde who had made the comment was unrepentant and giving him an almost challenging look.

That was when he knew that that one was going to be trouble.

He thought with a soft sigh.

* * *

Later that night as the small group of shinigami gathered on the roof of the ShinRa's main building, shihakusho fluttering in the breeze as they kept their eyes and ears out for the tell-tale sign of a Hollow.

"So, what was our objective again?" The fifth seat Hasumi Atsuma timidly asked as he looked toward his Taichou.

Cloud remained silent a moment before answering.

"We're here to look after the city Midgar and investigate the growing number of Hollows appearing in this area. There is also the possibility of an Adjuchas level Menos hanging around."

"That would explain why they sent not only Kira-fukutaichou but you as well, Taichou." The holder of the forth seat Amane Shui said in a rare show of seriousness.

There was a long moment of thoughtful silence before Sanosuke sighed and sat down. "Man, I hope something happens. Those classes are so boring I'm surprised I don't fall asleep!"

There were a few nods of agreement and then they heard the tortured cries of a Hollow not to far off. They all exchanged a look before vanishing in a flit of shunpo toward the feeling of reiatsu.

* * *

This is the third draft of the very first chapter and I'm really happy with it, if a little bored but it is meant as a sort of introduction chapter. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be out but I'll try to be quick with it. Also I want people to forgive me if some of the lingo for certain words are wrong or used wrong. Please let me know what you think! I'd appreaciate the feedback!

I want to apologize to those who might have been trying to get into my story but are encountering an error. Hopefully I can resolve it. -_-;; This is the last thing I need for my first posted story.


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